The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 eBook

who is pursued by bees, behold, I am running, penetrated
with fear, and smeared with dust! They that lead
the domestic mode of life are rescued from all sins
by a study of the Vedas, as also by gifts of other
kinds, as declared by the wise.[451] O thou of the
royal order, a Brahmana that is sinful in conduct,
becomes rescued from all his sins by the study of
the Vedas if he betakes himself to the forest mode
of life and abstains from attachment of every kind.
O chief of Kshatriyas, I am in this life, born in
a sinful older! I fail to see clearly how I may
succeed in cleansing myself from all sins. In
consequence of some meritorious act of a former life,
I have not lost the memory of my previous lives.
O king, I throw myself on the mercy! I ask thee!
Do thou resolve my doubt. By what auspicious
course of conduct should I wish to achieve my emancipation?
O foremost of men, by what means shall I succeed in
getting rid of my status as a Chandala?’

“The person of the royal order said, ’Know,
O Chandala, the means by which thou mayst be able
to attain to emancipation. By casting off thy
life-breaths for the sake of a Brahmana thou mayst
attain a desirable end! By throwing thy body
on the fire of battle as a libation to the beasts
and birds of prey for the sake of a Brahmana, indeed,
by casting off thy life-breaths thus, thou mayst achieve
emancipation! By no other means wilt thou succeed
in achieving it!’

“Bhishma continued, ’Thus addressed, that
Chandala, O scorcher of foes, poured his life-breaths
as a libation on the fire of battle for the sake of
protecting a Brahmana’s wealth and as the consequence
of that act attained to a very desirable end.
Hence, O son, thou shouldst always protect the property
of the Brahmanas, if, O chief of Bharata’s race,
thou desirest, O thou of mighty arms, an end that is
eternal felicity!’”

SECTION CII

“Yudhishthira said, ’O grandsire, it has
been said that all pious men attain to the same region
after death. Is it true, O Bharata, that there
is difference of position or status among them?’

“Bhishma said, ’By different deeds, O
son of Pritha, men attain to different regions.
They who are righteous in conduct attain to regions
of felicity, while they who are sinful attain to regions
that are fraught with misery. In this connection
is cited the old narrative of the discourse, O son,
between the ascetic Gautama and Vasava. A certain
Brahmana of the name of Gautama, mild and self-restrained
and with all his senses under complete control, beheld
an infant elephant that had lost his mother and that
was exceedingly cheerless on that account. Full
of compassion and steady in the observance of his vows,
the ascetic nursed that infant animal. After
a long time the little beast grew up into a large
and mighty elephant. One day, Indra, assuming
the form of king Dhritarashtra, seized that mighty
elephant which was as huge as a hill and from whose